Chapter 3
The Balance of Presumption
"Your Eminence, this is an honor," the Britannian lieutenant said as he stood at attention. "Rest assured that my unit will do its utmost to ensure your safety while outside the Concessions, and we will uphold the highest standards of the Imperial Britannian Army."
"I am sure you will, Lieutenant," Lelouch said with a slight smile. "I did select your unit specifically, after all."
And caused great consternation in doing so, the cardinal knew. The platoon that he had chosen to escort him on his ostensible tour of the ghettos was one predominantly composed of Honorary Britannians, with only the platoon CO and a few of the higher-ranking noncoms being full Britannians. The senior army officers had protested profusely about Lelouch's decision, with arguments ranging from questioning the reliability of the Honored Britannians to how it would besmirch the honor of the regular forces to be snubbed like this.
Lelouch's responses to those protests, had likely not endeared him to those officers. After all, was not a question of reliability indicative of a failure upon the army's part to properly train and instill discipline and loyalty into these recruits? And could the army really be said to have earned the privilege of, indeed themselves be trusted with, serving as Lelouch's escort considering their continued shortcomings in securing Area 11? If the officers here felt that their concerns were genuinely due to circumstances beyond their control, they were of course free to officially lodge them with the military's formal chain of command. They really did not like that one, probably because quite a few of the officers really did not want the sort of scrutiny that would result from such a protest being filed.
The only bone Lelouch threw them was to suggest Jeremiah be prepared with a rapid reaction force should the unthinkable happen, and the margrave was clearly delighted to be entrusted with the duty, even if he was saddled with one of Lelouch's own retainers in the process. Lelouch himself was not entirely enthused with the specific knightmare platoons Jeremiah had selected, all of them being composed entirely of Purists, but that might also serve as a means to test whom amongst the Purists were truly irredeemable demagogues and whom could be salvaged.
Perhaps the most disappointing thing about all this however was Clovis' conduct. The prince had appeared conflicted during the entire discussion, as if he desperately wanted to say something but could not find the will to do so. In the end Clovis had remained silent, letting the officers take the lead in trying to dissuade Lelouch, and after their failure made no efforts of his own. Even after the meeting, he said nothing of substance, instead only wishing Lelouch safe travels on his excursion. If there was ever a time for Clovis to come clean about the chemical weapons factory, it was now, seeing as Lelouch was heading to the very area it was located. The prince might have been optimistic enough to believe that was unintentional, but his nervousness clearly indicated he was genuinely worried about Lelouch having stumbled upon the plot. Had Clovis admitted everything to Lelouch, the cardinal might have been able to arrange things so his brother would not be publicly tarred by the resulting fallout. Now, that possibility was growing ever more remote.
Such were Lelouch's thoughts as he rode in the armored vehicle past the Concession perimeter. The contrast between the two sides was stark and immediate, the rundown nature of the ghettos visible the moment they crossed the checkpoint. While none of the buildings looked like they were in any immediate danger of collapsing, it was clear that little to no effort had been expended on their general upkeep, what with the peeling paint and stained walls. That sorry state was reflected in the demeanor of the people milling around as well. They were hardly in rags, but the way their eyes were downcast and the general lack of focus in their gazes made clear just how dispirited they were.
"A poor reflection on Britannia's custodianship of this Area," Lelouch remarked.
The soldier seated across from him shifted, a motion Lelouch noticed easily enough out of the corner of his eye.
"Did I say something odd, Private," Lelouch glanced at the name stitched onto the outfit, "Kururugi?"
"Umm, no Your Eminence," the private said nervously. "I was just a little, surprised."
"Surprised would imply it was something you did not expect," Lelouch said. "And the unexpected is generally something out of the norm, hence, odd. So would you like to rethink your answer?"
One could argue that Lelouch was being a bit mean with how he was needling the private. Even ignoring the vast gulf between their formal ranks, this Kururugi was an Honorary Britannian, a second class subject from a conquered people, while Lelouch was a recognized son of the emperor, even if he was no longer in the succession. Should the private displease Lelouch in some way, he would have few recourses to any reprisal Lelouch might be callow enough to inflict, as far as Kururugi himself knew. That had to weigh upon the other youth's mind, so expecting, nay, demanding a response from him was hardly fair. And if the way the other soldier had stiffened up, someone at least found the current environs to be very intimidating.
Kururugi spent a moment or two staring back at Lelouch, and to the youth's credit he did not flinch. He did take a deep breath before finally answering though.
"Not a lot of Britannians seem to care too much about what happens outside the Concessions, Your Eminence. So your comment, surprised me."
Lelouch actually glanced over at the other soldier, whom seemed to be holding his breath now, before looking back at Suzaku and responding.
"Would you say, Private, that you are representative of your own people? Of their beliefs, of their concerns?"
Kururugi stared back at Lelouch for a few moments before slowly shaking his head. "No, I can't say that, Your Eminence. A lot of my people don't want to become Honorary Britannians, even if it gives them a few more privileges."
"In exchange for their dignity," Lelouch said.
The private pursed his lips. "That's one way of looking at it, Your Eminence. I don't see it that way."
An eyebrow rose, but Lelouch did not pursue that line of thought.
"How many Japanese are there, as a population?" he asked instead.
Kururugi blinked, clearly not expecting the question or the fact that Lelouch would refer to his people as Japanese instead of Eleven.
"About a hundred million, Your Eminence," he managed to respond.
"So using yourself as a sample point, you are not representative of the norm for a large percentage of that hundred million," Lelouch said. "Meaning many million hold opinions and beliefs that preclude them from becoming Honorary Britannians."
"Yes, Your Eminence," Kururugi said, sounding more than a bit puzzled.
"How many Britannians have you interacted with, give or take," Lelouch asked next.
"Umm, probably in the hundreds, Your Eminence," Kururugi answered.
"And many of them have been dismissive or shown outright disdain for your people?"
Another beat before Kururugi nodded. "Yes, Your Eminence."
"And do you know what the current population of Britannian imperial subjects are?"
To that the private shook his head. "Not really, Your Eminence."
"The answer is four hundred fifty million, about," Lelouch said, the edge of his lips quirking. "Are you prepared to claim that those hundred or so Britannians you have encountered are, representative, of those other hundreds of millions?"
Kururugi's mouth shut as he realized just what Lelouch was getting at. He shook his head.
"No, Your Eminence."
The cardinal nodded approvingly. "I therefore will also not claim that the views I hold are representative of those others either. What I will say is that those whom do share my views have taken note of the situation within Area 11, and have decided it warrants action. I trust that will satisfy for now, Private?"
"Very much so, Your Eminence," Kururugi said firmly. "And, if I might be so bold, if you are ever in need of assistance, please don't hesitate to call upon us."
The way Kururugi tilted his head, he clearly meant to also include the other Japanese soldier sitting in the vehicle. The man's eyes widened as he gapped at his comrade's forthrightness, but after a few moments his jaw tightened and he too gave a stiff nod.
"Bold indeed," Lelouch said with some amusement. "Well, we shall see-"
The sound of a distant, muffled explosion cut short Lelouch's remark. The cardinal's eyes narrowed, while the soldiers grippe their weapons tightly and began looking about for hostiles.
"Lieutenant, status," Lelouch spoke into the radio.
"Situation unclear, Your Eminence," the officer answered. "No contacts visible, but with how close that explosion was, we should head back to the Concessions."
"Negative," Lelouch immediately asserted. "Move us to these coordinates," and rattled off a series of numbers, "reinforcements are waiting to augment my screen."
"Understood, Your Eminence."
The lieutenant thankfully did not waste any time arguing, which allowed Lelouch to quickly shift his attention onto other matters.
"Mordred, status," Lelouch switched radio channels.
"In position and awaiting your arrival," Anya responded, "Legate."
"On our way," Lelouch said, then on yet another channel. "Cartographer, status."
"The site of the attack is outside of my range," Lucretia answered, "but aerial drones are showing a small group of insurgents attacking a small industrial site. It is possible a Japanese resistance cell was also able to discover the existence of the chemical weapons factory."
Lelouch bit back a curse. Inconvenient as this might be for Clovis, the cardinal's greater concern was just what kind of body count they might end up with if this escalated, his brother's reputation be damned.
"Colonel Gottwald is also becoming increasingly agitated," Lucretia continued, "and is preparing to order his company into the ghettos."
Which would cause not inconsiderable death and destruction all on its own, mechanized urban warfare being what it was. And considering the mentalities of the knights under Jeremiah's command, Lelouch would not put it beyond some of them to intentionally inflict civilian casualties ostensibly in their efforts to protect him. That would not do.
"Put me through to the Colonel," Lelouch ordered.
Time to find out just how deeply Jeremiah's dedication, and need for redemption, ran.
Jeremiah had reason for both satisfaction and dissatisfaction. On the plus side, the Cardinal Lamperouge had specifically requested for him to command the rapid reaction force that would be in position to come to his aid should the need arise. Granted command of a single company would normally be beneath a colonel like him, but the importance of this charge easily warranted someone with sufficient seniority and experience to handle. On the minus however, the cardinal's immediate escort was a platoon composed predominantly of Honorary Britannians.
Jeremiah had joined his fellow officers in trying to persuade the cardinal from that decision, but Lelouch had been unmoved by their arguments. Indeed he made some rather pointed rejoinders in response, rejoinders that Jeremiah suspected were indications of his overall opinion of the occupational force's credibility. That stun, as a blow to not just Jeremiah's pride but also to his deeply held beliefs. For Cardinal Lamperouge to signal his disapproval of the Purist ideology, Jeremiah found hard to fathom. The margrave glanced over at the young woman diligently reading from a tablet. No, it was not unfathomable. Lelouch had after all been in Eden Vital's custody all these years. It was entirely possible that they had indoctrinated him with their own ideologies, ones that stood opposite to the Purists. The cardinal was therefore not entirely at fault for the position he took, and if Jeremiah could show him the value and superiority of true pureblooded Britannians, he was certain Lelouch would recognize their worth. If only an opportunity to do so would arise.
A boom sounded. Jeremiah whirled about and soon enough he could make out smoke rising in the distance.
"All knights to your mounts!" he shouted.
Turning about, Jeremiah saw that the Eden Vital sister's knightmare was already rising. The speed at which she responded caused him to grit his teeth. Well, that was the last time he would be shown up by anyone from that bleeding heart denomination. Jeremiah hurried to his own machine.
"Prepare to sortie," he said into his radio. "Proceed to His Eminence's present location, let none stand in your way!"
"Yes sir!" came the chorus of responses.
As Jeremiah gripped his controls and prepared to lead the charge however, another voice abruptly cut through with a firm, determined will.
"This is the Cardinal Lamperouge. Colonel Gottwald, I am hereby ordering your force to secure the perimeter of the Shinjuku ghettos and restrict entry to any other force except those with my express permission to enter. All civilians attempting to flee, be they Britannians or otherwise, are to be allowed passage out."
Jeremiah's eyes widened in shock. The cardinal was ordering him not to meet up and render assistance? He wanted them to instead hold the perimeter? What could he possibly be thinking.
"Your Eminence, I must protest!" Jeremiah cried out. "We cannot know for certain what objectives the attackers are often, but you must certainly rank highly as a possibility!"
"On the contrary, I suspect I know exactly what they are after," Lelouch said nonchalantly, giving Jeremiah his second big shock. Then in a clearer, firmer tone. "I am in no direct danger, Colonel, except perhaps from those too overzealous in avenging some imagined slight. If you wish to assure my personal safety, then you will obey my orders."
The colonel did not agree in the slightest, but his instinctive deference to those of higher standing warred with his desire to rush to the cardinal's person. In more ways than one.
"Your Eminence, even if I were to obey your current order, the moment Prince Clovis becomes aware of what is happening, he will immediately order me to come to your assistance," Jeremiah said. "When that happens, his orders will supersede yours."
Hopefully that would get the cardinal to see reason, and to let Jeremiah do his job.
"Hrmm, a point," Lelouch said, causing Jeremiah to relax ever so slightly at the prospect of the cardinal finally seeing sense. A bit too soon, as it turned out. "Colonel, I am invoking Secundus. Please provide the authentication code."
Jeremiah's eyes shot wide. "Your Eminence!"
"The authentication code, Colonel, now."
His hands actually shook as Jeremiah activated the protocol on his knightmare's systems.
"Authentication, alpha sigma one nine six bravo delta," Jeremiah said, his voice sounding remarkably calm despite the turmoil roiling within him.
"Countersign, victor lima seven two four sierra zero," Lelouch's response came. "Confirm, Colonel."
Jeremiah punched in the letters and numbers. An affirmative popped up on his screen and his stomach sank.
"Confirmed, Your Eminence," he said. "Your orders, sire."
"Do you, Colonel Gottwald, recognize my authority under the secundus protocol as second only to that of His Majesty the Emperor Charles?"
"I do, Your Eminence," Jeremiah said, jaws tightened.
"Do you recognize that it supersedes that of any other representative present, including the viceroy, the Prince Clovis."
"I do, Your Eminence," Jeremiah repeated, a mixture of shock and despair dripping from every word he uttered.
"Then obey my orders, Colonel," Lelouch said. "Establish a perimeter around the Shinjuku ghettos, and permit entry to no one without my express permission, not even to other Britannian units."
"I understand, Your Eminence," Jeremiah said.
"See that you do," Lelouch said. "Cartographer, assist the colonel with identify would-be intruders. Colonel, you are authorized to employ lethal force to stop them. Legate, out."
A click signaled Lelouch's departure from the channel. A slight vibration indicated to Jeremiah another knightmare was saddling up alongside his. Looking over, as expected it was the Eden Vital machine.
"Shall we, Colonel?" Lucretia said.
Jeremiah glared at the display, not that the sister could see.
"Glaring at me will not change the situation."
The colonel blinked. Was she somehow omniscient? Or was that just a very lucky guess? Either way, the sister was right about one thing, damn her, his own feelings would not change the situation. He had to obey the cardinal's orders, that was what the secundus protocol was for, resolving potential conflicts of authority between different personas of near or equal standing. By invoking it, Lelouch had assumed primacy over his brother, so technically his orders superseded the prince's. But even then, with the situation as confused as it was now, that might not be enough. And there may be units that would still follow the prince's order over that of the cardinal, Jeremiah knew grimly. Units like Prince Clovis' royal guard, whom were swore directly to the prince himself instead of to Britannia and the throne. That promised to get very messy. And if he were to be completely honest with himself, Jeremiah was not entirely certain the knights following him would continue to do so once the schism between the brothers came out. Under any other circumstances, he would have staked his life on their loyalty and obedience. Now though, he shocked himself with his uncertainty. No matter though. If he did not at least try, then his failure was already assured. And this time, Jeremiah refused to fail. He took hold of his controls.
"What do you mean the facility was attacked!?" Clovis roared. "You assured me that no one could possibly be aware of its existence, and now some fucking insurgents have blown it up!?"
"The situation is still unclear, Your Highness," Bartley said, "we're having trouble getting in contact with the team stationed there."
"Don't give me unclear!" Clovis nearly reached out to seize the general by the collar. "There are insurgents shooting things up in the ghetto, where my own brother is touring! What do you think is going to happen if he stumbles upon the facility? What do you think will happen if he gets exposed to the Sarin!?"
To Clovis' credit, the prince was at least thinking about Lelouch's safety.
"If Lelouch dies from Sarin poisoning, it won't matter if the facility gets traced back to us or not, my father is going to have our heads on the chopping block anyway for rank incompetence!"
Of course, there was nothing stopping him from worrying about his own safety concurrently.
"Highness, please calm yourself!" Bartley tried. "If we move quickly enough, we can still contain the situation."
"Contain how!? If the attack didn't compromise the storage containers at the site, any effort on our part to retake the place almost certainly will!"
"Is that necessarily a bad thing, Highness?" Bartley ventured.
Clovis gapped at the man. "What are you talking about?"
"We always intended for the site to be discovered, after the dastardly Eleven terrorist attack. Were the facility to be thoroughly wrecked in the fighting, that would make it all the easier to hide any inconvenient evidence," Bartley pointed out.
The prince actually took a moment to consider that. "And the explosions and release of the toxin?"
"The Elevens failed to properly contain their own work, resulting in countless deaths amongst their own fellows," Bartley said with a shrug. "A most tragic turn of events, but one hardly our fault."
Clovis' eyes narrowed. "And Lelouch?"
"We simply need to extract the cardinal from the ghettos," the general stated. "That is why Colonel Gottwald is positioned with his company, after all. Surely even His Eminence is capable of some gratitude after having his life saved."
Clovis drummed his fingers on the armrest. "I somehow doubt things will work out so cleanly, General, but at this point I fail to see any other alternatives. Turn out my guard and deploy those units whose discretion can be trusted. They are to purge the ghettos and eliminate any possible witnesses to this incident."
"Understood, Your Highness," Bartley said and reached for his radio.
In the background, the general could hear Clovis calling to be put in touch with Jeremiah. A few moments later another loud shout broke through Bartley's focus.
"He WHAT!?"
Turning about, Bartley saw an expression of pure shock washed over Clovis' face. It took a few moments before the prince managed to snap his jaw shut.
"Understood, Colonel. Carry forth with your orders." The prince shot an impressively imperious glare Bartley's way. "It would appear, General, that my dear brother has chosen to override my authority, and issued orders to Colonel Gottwald to establish a perimeter around the Shinjuku district, denying access to all persons, Britannian or otherwise."
Bartley inhaled sharply, perhaps the most expressive the general had been since the events of the day began unfolding.
"He knows, General," Clovis said. "Lelouch somehow knows about the chemical weapons factory, and is likely moving to have it secured as evidence even as we speak."
"But how!?" Bartley found himself exclaiming. "We left no traces of its existence anywhere in the records!"
"Clearly not," Clovis said frostily.
Bartley's mind raced. Never in his worst nightmares could he have conceived of this turn of events, that they might be on the edge of complete and total ruin. All because of one man, Lelouch Lamperouge. Inspiration struck Bartley yet again. That or the man was about to seal his own fate, the difference between genius and stupidity was often hard to distinguish.
"You must make a choice then, Your Highness," Bartley said. "Whose survival do you prioritize, that of yourself or your brother."
"My-are you suggesting I have Lelouch killed!?" Clovis exclaimed.
"Your Highness, we are out of options," Bartley said. "As you yourself stated, should His Majesty learn of our involvement with Code-R," interesting that the general still refrained from calling the toxin by its actual name, "he will have us executed. I doubt he would do it because he cared a wit for the Eleven rats, but because we were sloppy enough to have our plot discovered. After all, His Majesty cares most for is skill and competency. If we were to successfully contain this however, to eliminate any and all evidence of our involvement with any of it, including the cardinal's most unfortunate fate, we would have demonstrated our value to His Majesty. We would be safe."
A dangerous light gleamed from Clovis' eye as he regarded Bartley, causing the general to actually sweat nervously. His proposal was radical, even bordering on seditious. But one thing that he shared with the prince right now was a desperation to avoid facing the emperor's judgment. He had to hope that that desperation and fear would drive Clovis to the same extremes as Bartley himself was preparing to resort to.
"When this matter is resolved, General, you and I will need to have a talk about the, liberties, that you have clearly been taking in my presence," Clovis said, his voice a low hiss.
"Your Highness-" Bartley began.
"I gave you no leave to speak," the prince cut him off as he stood. "We will handle the present matter as per your suggestion, for I seem to lack the imagination to conceive of any alternative courses of action. But know this, General. Even if Lelouch dies this day, we are as likely as not to join him, for I suspect that, like with so many other plots and schemes, you are being overly optimistic about the probable outcomes."
Bartley opened his mouth again, but at the slight twitch of Clovis' eyebrows he clamped it shut as he watched the prince storm out of the room. Clovis was clearly in no mood to hear further excuses or rationalizations. Indeed, he was showing much firmer conviction than Bartley could ever recall. Arguably if Clovis had demonstrated such will in the past, they would not be in this mess right now, but that was not what came to mind for the general now. For Bartley, his first and only concern remained getting out of this situation alive and preferably with his standing intact. Clovis' fears of his father were clearly impacting his assessment of the situation, and if he truly intended to deal with Bartley even after the general's inspiration helped salvage this disaster, then he clearly was not suitable as a patron anymore. Bartley would need to secure his own future via other means.
"Captain Soresi," Bartley spoke into a private radio channel. "What is your status?"
"We've been ordered to establish a perimeter along the Shinjuku ghetto borders," Kewell answered. "What is going on, General? Why aren't we moving in to secure the cardinal?"
"His Eminence seems to have discovered the Code-R facility," Bartley said, "and is clearly attempting to keep us away while he secures it."
Kewell said nothing in response. Nothing needed to be said to communicate how grave the situation had become.
"Prince Clovis is turning out his royal guard and I will be summoning other units whose loyalties can conviction can be trusted," Bartley continued. "Do you have the remote detonator?"
"All knights in my platoon have them, sir," this time the knight answered promptly.
"When our forces approach to challenge Colonel Gottwald, take that opportunity to break off and get within range of the devices stored at the facility," Bartley said, "and detonate them."
"Understood, General," Kewell answered.
And prepared to consign countless thousands to their deaths. They were only Elevens though, so the knight barely bat an eye over it. Sacrifices were inevitable on the path to glory after all, and Kewell was determined to win that glory for himself, whatever the cost to others.
Dust and ash clouded the view, but Lelouch hardly cared. The insurgents had clearly known where to strike and the destruction they wrought was quick and thorough, at least as far as neutralizing the facility itself was concerned. They had not gone out of their way to outright kill everyone in their path, as indicated by the man in the lab coat being dragged out of the building by a pair of soldiers wearing gasmasks. These particular masks had not been part of the platoon's standard kit, instead they had been handed out when Lelouch and his party rendezvoused with Anya and Dalque. Lelouch himself was not wearing one, and the fact that the prisoner was still alive indicated they were probably not needed yet, that could change very quickly if the damage resulted in eventual breach of whatever containers stored the chemical weapons. Lelouch would still not be needing one, though.
The prisoner was held up before Lelouch, the man's knees quivering so much he would have likely crumpled into a heap if made to stand on his own. That was solved easily enough as Lelouch reached out, grabbed hold of the man by his neck, and actually lifted him off the ground. The soldiers stepped back with looks of mild amazement, but offered no protests. Turning about, Lelouch slammed the man into the knightmare's leg and pinned him there.
"You will answer my questions sincerely and immediately," Lelouch declared.
The two soldiers now standing behind Lelouch exchanged glances, clearly wondering if that command would be obeyed. Granted the aura the cardinal was projecting would probably induce cooperation from all but the most stupid or desperate, but there was always a chance that the man before them was either or both.
"What was this facility for," Lelouch began his interrogation.
"It was for producing Sarin!" the man blurted out.
Apparently he was neither, at least not right now. Anyone that willingly helped manufacture Sarin really could not be anything but stupid or desperate, or both.
"On who's orders?"
"I don't know, we were just given the money and equipment, told to make the gas!"
Lelouch's eyes narrowed. "Gas?"
At room temperature, Sarin was supposed to be a liquid. That a gas was mentioned at all bode very, very poorly.
"We put together an aerosolized delivery system, for maximum dispersal!"
While the two soldiers stiffened, Lelouch remained stoically composed.
"Where is that delivery system?"
"The insurgents took it!"
The cardinal tilted his head. "Why?"
"They're probably trying to disarm it, we had just armed it yesterday!"
"And the rest of the Sarin?"
"They-they flushed it! The rest of it was still in liquid form, so they flushed it!"
That actually was not a bad idea, as Sarin could be easily neutralized by just mixing it with water.
"Did they get all of it?"
"Most of it, most of it!" the man said frantically.
The desperation in his voice was growing as he struggled to understand just why he was spilling his guts to Lelouch. The cardinal was not particularly sympathetic to his plight.
"What detonation methods are there for the delivery system?"
"Timer and remote detonator!"
"Range of remote detonator?"
"Two kilometers, less if there're obstructions in the way!"
"Hmm," Lelouch murmured, then dropped the man.
The two soldiers watching the interrogation had been listening intently, the revelations being spilled clearly of great personal interest to them. Little wonder that, considering there was a poison gas weapon floating around in the ghettos that might kill thousands of their fellow Japanese.
"Lieutenant," Lelouch turned towards another soldier. "Remain here with two squads and keep the facility and the prisoners locked down. Alice will also stay with you to provide additional fire support. No one is to be permitted entry without my express permission, not even the viceroy himself. Is that clear?"
"Crystal, Your Eminence," the officer said.
"Detach one squad to come with me to assist in securing this weapon," Lelouch continued.
The lieutenant blinked. "You're going yourself, Your Eminence?"
"Who else better?" Lelouch asked as he was lifted up to the knightmare's cockpit.
The man nodded, then clicked his heels together. "Good hunting, Your Eminence."
"And good luck to you as well, Lieutenant," Lelouch said as he sat down behind Sancia and the cockpit closed up, then to his copilot. "Move out."
The three knightmares began rolling out, with the single squadron of infantry hurrying after once they boarded their own vehicles.
"Cartographer, any luck tracking the insurgents?" Lelouch asked over the radio.
"Suspicious looking vehicles entered the Shinjuku traffic tunnel about five minutes before your arrival at the facility," Lucretia answered.
Lelouch nodded to himself. "Makes sense, the concrete of the tunnels would help dampen any radio signals. Plot us a route, Sancia."
"Be advised, Legate, that those tunnels may also interfere with our own radio communications," Lucretia warned. "The Prince Clovis has also roused his royal guard and other army units. They are approaching Shinjuku in force, and it is unclear whether Colonel Gottwald will be able to retain control over enough of his company to offer any impediment."
"Understood. Mordred, rendezvous with Cartographer and do whatever is necessary to keep any other units out of the ghettos."
"Roger," Anya said, as her heavy knightmare peeled off.
"Put me through to the squad CO," Lelouch ordered.
Sancia adjusted the radio and nodded to Lelouch.
"Sergeant, this is Cardinal Lamperouge. Before we encounter the insurgents I want to be very clear about the rules of engagement here. By all indications their objective is not to employ the chemical weapon against their own people, they were seeking to neutralize the threat that these weapons and the factory represented. As such, if an arrangement can be arrived at that allows for the neutralization of the weapon without needing to engage the insurgents, I intend to take it. You and your men are therefore not to open fire without my express permission. Is that clear?"
"Crystal, Your Eminence," the NCO assured him. "I'll keep a tight leash on my boys, no one's gonna get an itchy trigger on my watch."
"I will hold you to it, Sergeant."
"We've got incoming," the radio crackled, static washing over the distorted but still understandable voice.
Grimacing, Kallen took hold of her knightmare's controls. A Glasgow was noticeably subpar of a machine when compared to the newer Sutherlands or Gloucesters, but it was still a knightmare, still a potent weapon of war. There was no small amount of irony to be found in deploying one of these machines against the very military that had used them to subjugate Japan. Kallen personally quite relished it.
"Multiple contacts, two knightmares, I can't tell what design, and some infantry accompanying them."
Kallen frowned. Two knightmares were not in and of itself a problem, even if it would take a bit of luck to bring them down without losing her own frame. The fact that Minami did not recognize them at all however, that was more troubling. The bespectacled man had studied Britannian hardware long and hard as part of his preparations to fight the Empire's forces, so he should have been able to identify anything that was thrown at them.
"Can you describe them?" Kallen asked.
Even if these were entirely new models, if she could get at least a rough outline of what they looked like and were equipped with, that might be enough to allow Kallen to best them.
"Their armor is more angled than boxy," Minami said. "They definitely look sleeker, more streamlined, than even the Sutherlands."
That did not bode well. These were clearly newer models then, maybe prototypes by that Camelot Institute they had heard rumors about.
"One of them has a big ass rifle," the many continued. "The other is a chunkier knightmare, bigger than the first, doesn't seem to have any weapons I can see."
Unarmed did not necessarily equal harmless, especially not with a multi-ton mechanized bipedal walker.
"Can we move the weapon?" Kallen inquired.
The further away she could engage the enemy from the chemical weapon, the less she would need to have to worry about some stray round hitting it and killing all of them.
"Not a chance," Inoue however immediately dashed those hopes. "I've got the thing pried up and its guts splayed out. If we move it, we risk setting off any failsafe that I haven't managed to disarm."
"Alright, I'm going in," Kallen said. "Watch my back to make sure no one tries to flank me."
"Roger that," Ohgi said.
"Wait, the infantry has stopped at the entry of the tunnel, they're not going in," Minami put in. "It's just the two knightmares."
"That's just fine with me."
Knightmares were powerful weapons, but like any such weapons they had weaknesses and gaps that required others to help cover. Sometimes those others were just other knightmares, two knightmares being considerably more dangerous than one. Sometimes those others were other weapons entirely, from infantry to tanks to air units. Arguably one of the most dangerous combinations of the ground bound combinations was a force of knightmares backed up by infantry. Where the knightmares did the heavy lifting with their greater speed and firepower, the innate flexibility of infantry allowed them to watch the backs of the mechs and even provide direct fire support from unexpected vectors against the enemy. Such support became especially important in the tight environs of urban warfare, as despite the greater maneuverability of a knightmare they were still large and bulky things. The mere ability to discretely peek around a corner could well mean the difference between victory or defeat, and a multi-ton mech was very much on the other side of discretion.
Inside of the traffic tunnel that Kallen was preparing to engage the enemy in, the situation was even more complicated. In addition to the risk of a tunnel collapse if they were too liberal with their weapons, there were turns and bends that offered good ambush points that defenders could exploit. The hard concrete also meant sound traveled quite far, so she had ample warning of the oncoming frames. And if she picked a particularly tight bend, that would serve to limit the movements of the bigger knightmare, as well as the effectiveness of the giant gun mounted by the other one.
Kallen lay in wait as the sound of landspinners grinding against the road grew louder and louder. As a shadow shifted on the ground before her, she pounced. The red Glasgow spun out into the open, guns blazing, and the barrage of shots slammed into the hulking knightmare in the lead. That many shells would have at minimum disabled any other knightmare, but this one seemed to shrug off the hits and actually lunged at Kallen in response. The girl suspected it would be a very bad idea to let her opponent make contact, so she threw her own machine into reverse. The other knightmare missed, and its punch went right through the concrete wall to create a gaping hole.
Shifting around, Kallen repositioned her knightmare so that the big one was in between her and the other enemy. If she was going to be shot at, she intended to have a pretty big shield in the way. The girl herself had no reservations and emptied the rest of her gun's magazine, but somehow the enemy knightmare just tanked all the shots with nary a scratch.
"What the hell are you!?" Kallen exclaimed inside the cockpit.
The enemy dropped onto all fours, then launched itself at Kallen. The Glasgow spun about to evade, but was just a step too slow. A crunch sounded as its arm was crushed by the other knightmare's hands and the Glasgow jerked as it was pulled forward. Kallen however took advantage of the momentum, twisting her knightmare around and in the process wrenching off its shattered arm. The result was less than ideal, but at least she was free of the enemy's grip. Just what she could possibly do even so was an open question, as this knightmare clearly held an advantage even without the other one hanging back. As odd as it was that the other frame did not attempt to offer its comrade any support, Kallen was too relieved at not having to face off against two such monstrous knightmares to really care right now.
"Hey, you're pretty good," a cheerful, girlish voice sounded from the large hulking knightmare.
"What?" Kallen said reflexively, not that the other pilot could have heard her since the Glasgow's external speakers were off.
"Been a while since anyone besides my sisters have been able to evade me for this long," the girl continued speaking.
Kallen spent a moment or so staring blankly at the enemy frame as she tried to make sense of what was happening. Banter like this was decidedly unusual, but the girl suspected that even had it been more common few of her previous opponents would have treated the situation so cavalierly.
"Huntress, stay on task," another woman's voice sounded from the rear knightmare. "Neutralize the target."
"Roger!"
It seemed Kallen was not the only one that found the chatter out of place. Having seen what the other knightmare was capable of, Kallen did not even try to stand her ground. Instead she swung around another bend to put some walls between herself and the charging enemy. Having to swerve should at least slow her down, running into the concrete more so. Or so Kallen thought, but the knightmare did not veer around the tunnel and instead slammed right through without missing a step. Her momentum was actually growing too, and Kallen would never make it out of the way in time with just her landspinners. Firing off her harkens, Kallen used them like a pendulum and flung herself out of the way. The motion might have sent her clear of the enemy's path, but it also sent her crashing into the wall herself. The crash webbing kept her from cracking open her head against the instruments, but the way they dug into her flesh really, really hurt.
Fighting back against the pain, Kallen tried to extract her knightmare from the rubble. The motors strained as they pushed back against the weight pinning her in place, but soon enough her Glasgow was out of the debris. Out, but not clear.
"Gotcha!"
Kallen tried to dodge, but with her mech so trashed she had no chance of evading. The swing from the other knightmare tore one of the Glasgow's legs clean off and the shoulder check saw the two plow through more of the tunnel walls before careening into another section of road. When they stopped tumbling, Kallen groaned as she patted her body, making sure nothing was broken. Notwithstanding the aches and bruises, she seemed to be okay. Her eyes snapped wide open as she saw where they were.
Not too far away, guns raised but otherwise frozen, were the others guarding the chemical weapon. The fight had taken them all the way to here, and they had nothing that could possibly face off a normal knightmare, never mind the monstrosity that had beaten hers into scrap. Kallen turned the head about to catch sight of the enemy, little though there was that she could do. The big knightmare pulled itself up and glanced back and forth between the downed Glasgow and the other combatants on foot. The thinner, sleeker one with the big gun was also coming through, weapon pointed in their general direction. They were fucked.
"To the Japanese insurgents in possession of the chemical weapon," this time a male voice sounded from the rear knightmare. "I would ask that we agree to a temporary truce, so that our mutual can be achieved, the disarming of the weapon in your possession."
Kallen's jaw dropped. Was that man serious?
"Why in the world would we believe you?" she said over the Glasgow's surprisingly intact loudspeaker.
"Because I have no wish for countless innocents to die should it go off."
"And you expect us to find that any easier to believe?" Kallen almost sneered. "Coming from a Britannian?"
The other knightmare fell silent, and also stopped advancing. Maybe he could not come up with any good sounding excuses, or that there was no point to further subterfuge. Not that Kallen knew what she or the others could possibly do if he decided to start shooting. Maybe try taking him with them, if it came to that. Then, Kallen found herself gaping in shock yet again. The cockpit of the rear knightmare opened up and a young man lowered himself using the motorized line. That the pilot would just come out of his knightmare was already surprising enough. That he was someone Kallen, and indeed all the other resistance fighters, recognized was the far greater surprise.
"I am Lelouch Lamperouge," the youth's voice sounded, clear and loud within the tunnel as he walked towards them. "Cardinal of the Order of Eden Vital. If you know of the Order's good works, you will know that we frown greatly upon the taking of innocent life. So, let us talk."
End of Chapter 3
So Lelouch does not pilot his own knightmare, he's in a tandem unit with Sancia. He does serve as the gunner when the need arises though. He is also not being nearly as reckless as some of you might be thinking he is at the end there. Why that is the case will become evident in later chapters.
I think the Shinjuku arc will be wrapped up in one or two more chapters, with another one or two chapters for dealing with the immediate fallout. I say one or two because for a lot of scenes I have outlined I end up underestimating how long they would end up as, so that ends up pushing subsequent scenes out. If I'm able to sequence it right, the ending of the next chapter will be even more dramatic than this one's.
So, I want to get this cleared up as quickly as possible, because I suspect this is going to become a thing. The characters in my story are from the Code Geass franchise, but they are NOT the same person as the character in the canon anime/manga/whatever. Several of them have grown up in vastly different circumstances than their canon counterparts, while others, even if their background is mostly the same, are still subject to various changes that means they will not be responding the same way.
The most obvious example is of course Lelouch himself. In my story, Lelouch was raised by C.C. after his mother's death, and never set foot in Japan until he was sent by his father to clean up Clovis' mess. That means he has no particular affinity for Japan or its people, and as shown by this chapter, he and Suzaku are complete strangers to each other, with any rapport between the two very threadbare. Lelouch and Nunnally are therefore also absent from the lives of the Ashford group. Milly did not have the two as surrogate siblings growing up, Shirley will have never met Lelouch and indeed never might except maybe in passing if Lelouch drops by the academy to visit Milly or Ruben, so on and so forth.
Astute readers may have notice that I have been dropping a lot of details and context in the story's prose. I'm not doing that on a lark. While I am certainly still reliant on readers filling in any gaps with their preexisting knowledge of the Code Geass franchise, I am going to significant lengths to highlight the differences so that all of you know where and when that knowledge no longer applies. So if Lelouch or any of the other characters does something that their canon version would not have, or if they interact with certain other characters in ways divergent from their canon relationship, it's because this world is itself different from canon, and the characters themselves are different people.
I have no intention whatsoever of trying to dogmatically maintain some sort of canon integrity with my portrayals of the Code Geass characters. I have no particular interest in telling a story using the persons that they were in canon, that story has already been done. If a reader is looking for some reaffirmation of their understanding of the people from canon, they are looking for a different story than what I am writing.
Me not naming names in my author note answers sort of just comes down to laziness. Some of you people have really long or unusual user names, and since I touch type almost entirely from muscle memory, having to look up and try to type the names would just be too intrusive to my train of thought.
The GX comes from the Nightmare of Nunnally manga, where they were actually called the GX-01 models. Has no relation to anything from any other franchises.
I make no promises about harems or their absence. I have not as yet figured out just how I want the romantic subplot in this story to go after a certain point, even if I do have some primary pairings in mind. And ultimately I might find the difficulties of actually writing a credible presentation of a harem situation interesting enough that I might do it just for the intellectual challenge. From a narrative perspective I don't see any reason why it couldn't happen, Britannian royals obviously practice polygamy, so it's not as if I would even need to make any sort of in-universe justification to allow it. It all comes down to how well crafted the people and relationships themselves are. There are certainly enough examples of how not to do it with all of the de-facto self-insert fics where writers fantasize about being Lelouch surrounded by a bevy of hot girls. I'm not that incompetent of a writer (or that narcissistic of a person) to ever think that's a good idea.
One thing I will state is that none of the women in Lelouch's current entourage will ever get entangled in a romantic relationship with him. Theirs is a purely familial relation at best, with them seeing Lelouch as a brother that needs a lot of minding and Lelouch seeing them as sisters of varying degrees of maturity. And the same obviously holds true for his actual sisters. Lelouch was raised with a western mindset that frowns very heavily on any romantic liaisons with people of that degree of consanguinity.